Falk responds to Obey’s warning of Democratic ‘suicide pact’

A prominent Democratic Party leader is warning gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Falk not to go negative in her primary campaign against her rival Tom Barrett. Falk says she won't change her strategy.

Dave Obey served in Congress for 41 years, and now supports Tom Barrett in the primary. Wednesday, Obey reacted to published reports that Kathleen Falk, behind in the polls, is going to take aim at Barrett.

"I don't think recall elections are the proper time for a suicide pact, and our chances of unseating the governor are not so outrageously good that we can waste time attacking each other,” he said.

The longtime Congressman brought up Falk's tough primary battle in 2006 against incumbent Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager. Falk beat Lautenschlager, and then lost the general election to Republican J.B. Van Hollen.

"We simply cannot afford to have a repeat of what happened in 2006 when the Democratic primary turned negative in the last couple of weeks and it cost the Democrats the election,” Obey said.

Kathleen Falk says it wasn't the primary fight that cost her that election, it was Republican money.

"Well the Republican Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce had spent millions of dollars in negative attack ads against me that election,” she said.

And Falk responded to Obey's comments of a Democratic Party suicide pact.

"The real suicide is if elected officials ignore this grass roots, the labor unions, the women and the environmentalists who are supporting my campaign because of my commitment to undoing Gov. Walker's harms,” she said. “I run a positive campaign. Campaigns are about the differences in candidates."

Falk and Barrett face Kathleen Vinehout and Doug LaFollette in the May 8 primary.

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